


you're hurt

by johnathot-seed (johns_gate)



Series: the baptist favours rebellion [1]
Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Blood, F/M, Light Angst, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 16:16:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19360402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johns_gate/pseuds/johnathot-seed
Summary: “You’re not a hero” he soothed. “And it’s okay. It’s okay to take a moment to breathe. You’re tearing yourself apart trying to help the very people who make no attempts to assist you. It’s just one night. Stay here.”





	you're hurt

Miriam’s clothes and weapons were discarded by the door, her boots situated haphazardly around the room as though she had kicked them off in sheer desperation. Her back was red, almost raw looking, a nebula of bruises interconnecting against the faint dusting of freckles; her shoulder blades far too noticeable for John’s liking. A sickly feeling formed in the pit of his stomach as he noticed the outline of her spine.

The water was pink. Miriam sat slouched in the tub, hunched over her knees, rocking slightly. She was shivering despite the intense heat of the water and even from where he stood in the doorway, John could see just how frail his deputy was becoming. He cursed himself for not checking on her earlier.

He wasn’t doing enough.

“Miri?” His voice shook as he rushed towards. Blood wasn’t an unusual sight to the Baptist, but the very thought of Miriam being injured was enough to fill him with fear. There was so much of it…

She didn’t react when he tentatively touched her shoulder; staring straight ahead at the wall in front of her. John had long since become familiar with the thousand-yard stare ever since his reunion with Jacob; it pained him just as much to see the deputy in the same anguish.

Miriam’s face was covered in blood in various stages of drying; her pupils dilated and bloodshot only serving to emphasise the haunted look reflected in them. She clutched at the dog tags still around her neck as she nervously chewed at her lip, unaware of John’s presence as he knelt down next to her.

His voice was soft as he spoke. “Miriam? My dear, can you hear me?”

She jumped, and her sudden movement revealed the laceration to the side of her abdomen she had been attempting to hide with her free hand. Not deep enough to be responsible for the sheer amount of blood in the tub; but enough for John to feel the wild grasp of panic threatening to pull him into its grasp.

“You’re hurt,” he whispered, voice barely inaudible, before springing to his feet.

She blinked as she took in the sight of John leaving her side long enough only to retrieve a bundle of clean cloths. “It’s stopped bleeding,” she croaked, watching as he returned. “It’s not all mine. I’m fine -”

“You are the furthest thing from fine” he snapped.

“I know…I’m a fuck-up. I used again, John.“ She whimpered, holding out her left arm so he could see the track marks snaking outwards from her elbow. John’s stomach wrenched at the sight of them: stark red lines against her pallid skin.

They were getting worse again: rapidly so.

"Hush, Miri. It’s okay,” voice soothing as he slowly reached for the nearest cloth. “Let me help you.”

The tiniest of nods and the inaudible “okay” was all the permission he needed to begin tending to Miriam’s wounds. Her eyes heavy-lidded, it was almost impossible for John to determine whether the shadows under her eyes were bruises or simply from sheer exhaustion. Multiple scrapes and scratches adorned her cheeks, a trail of blood flowing weakly from her nose. Her bottom lip was bruised, and Miriam hissed in pain as John grazed over the cut gracing it. His jaw clenched in white-hot fury at the stark realisation that it would likely leave a scar.

“Who did this to you?”

“A chosen,” she sighed, shifting uncomfortably.

John’s eyebrows furrowed. “They will be dealt with,” he promised.

“John -”

“Their _pride_ caused this, Miriam,” he hissed, hardly able to contain his wrath. “They disobeyed a direct order to leave you alone. They will be dealt with.”

She opened her mouth in silent protest, only to be interrupted as John slowly rose. Seeing Miriam in this fragile a state was no longer a new experience, but John had soon learned the best way to approach and deal with the Deputy when she was like this. Sudden movements startled her all too easily. The vacant look glazed over her features once again as she broke her gaze.

John paused for a moment as he watched her closely, before stepping away to reach the towel not two feet away from them. The sound of splashing water caused him to spin round just in time to see Miriam frantically trying to stand up despite her injuries; a look of sheer panic etched across her features.

Her voice shook as she spoke, supporting herself against the wall using her free arm. “I thought you were leaving me. I was scared…”

John reached a hand out to her as he approached, helping her as Miriam tentatively clambered out. His eyes lingered briefly on her numerous bruises before passing her the towel.

“We should get you dry, my dear. Take a look at that wound properly as well: it’ll need bandaging.” John tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she quietly wrapped a towel around herself. “You’ll stay here tonight, of course. You’ll be safe, and you need to rest -”

“I can’t.” She shook her head vehemently. “I need to get back to Fall’s -”

“Your precious little Resistance is going to get you killed, you do realise that don’t you?” He cupped her face gently, thumb ghosting over the new cuts she had earned since he last saw her. He breathed out sharply in an attempt to quell the growing fury. “Do you think they notice all that you do, Miri? Lounging in their homes in safety knowing that you’re out there fighting their battles? They don’t even notice when you turn up drunk, do they, that’s how much they fucking care about their illustrious deputy!”

Miriam looked at him as though he had been the one to inflict the wound. Her bottom lip trembled slightly; John felt his heart shatter in his chest as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

“Have they ever so much as thanked you?”

“They need me, I have to -”

Not thinking, he pressed his forehead to hers, causing her to gasp at the sudden intimacy. She froze for a moment, before allowing herself to lean into his touch.

“You’re not a hero” he soothed. “And it’s okay. It’s okay to take a moment to breathe. You’re tearing yourself apart trying to help the very people who make no attempts to assist you. It’s just one night, Miriam. Stay here.”

As Miriam remained silent, he withdrew with a sigh. His eyes practically implored her to see deep within his soul; silently trying to tell everything he was too afraid to speak aloud. But instead, she shivered slightly from the cold thus bringing John back to more pressing matters.

"Come, Miri. Let’s see to that wound.”


End file.
